In many medical systems, including medical imaging systems, the positioning sub-systems contain one or more motorized axes. A button on the operator console can invoke motion on these axes. This button represents a single point of failure that could result in harm to a patient or operator if a malfunction were to occur.
To circumvent this problem in existing equipment, the operator is required to depress two separate buttons, which is not necessarily the most failsafe or most ergonomically correct solution. For example, a dual-switch that uses two pressure-based switches could be tricked into activation if it was pressed too hard or if a heavy object was placed on it.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which would become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for a safety switch arrangement that is not prone to false activation. There is also a need for controlling subsystems in medical imaging devices through the use of switches incorporating different technologies.